COVID-19, poverty and inclusive development

Joyeeta Gupta, Maarten Bavinck, Mirjam Ros-Tonen, Kwabena Asubonteng, Hilmer Bosch, Edith van Ewijk, Michaela Hordijk, Yves Van Leynseele, Mieke Lopes Cardozo, Esther Miedema, Nicky Pouw, Crelis Rammelt, Joeri Scholtens, Courtney Vegelin and Hebe Verrest

World Development, 2021, vol. 145, issue C

Abstract: The COVID-19 epidemic provides yet another reason to prioritize inclusive development. Current response strategies of the global community and countries expose a low level of solidarity with poorer nations and poorer people in all nations. Against this background, this paper addresses the question: What are the development challenges that the COVID-19 pandemic lays bare and what lessons can be learnt for the way recovery processes are designed? Using an inclusive development and DPSIR lens to assess the literature, our study finds that, first, the current response prioritises the ‘state’ and ‘impact’ concerns of wealthier classes at the expense of the remainder of the world population. Second, responses have ignored underlying ‘drivers’ and ‘pressures’, instead aiming at a quick recovery of the economy. Third, a return to business-as-usual using government funding will lead to a vicious cycle of further ecological degradation, socio-economic inequality and domestic abuse that assist in exacerbating the drivers of the pandemic. We argue instead for an inclusive development approach that leads to a virtuous cycle by emphasizing human health, well-being and ecosystem regeneration. We conclude that the lost years for development did not commence in 2020 with the onset of COVID-19; the downward trend has actually been waxing over the past three decades. From this perspective, COVID-19 may be the shock needed to put the last first and transform vicious into virtuous cycles of inclusive development.

Keywords: Inclusive development; COVID-19; DPSIR framework; Governance; Securitization (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (6)

Downloads: (external link)
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0305750X2100139X
Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:wdevel:v:145:y:2021:i:c:s0305750x2100139x

DOI: 10.1016/j.worlddev.2021.105527

Access Statistics for this article

World Development is currently edited by O. T. Coomes

More articles in World Development from Elsevier
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Catherine Liu ().